The Old Dark House (1932)

Directed By: James Whale

So I had this flick lying around and thought I'd pick it for day 2's viewing. On the whole I liked it...sort of.

So it's kind of a stretch to call The Old Dark House horror. It's more like a bizarre comedy of manners which amps up a thriller element in the end, and even that seems like an afterthought. So much so that's I'm not entirely sure what transpired. Still, it's hard to imagine audiences back then being convinced by the film's final third.

The film comes fresh with a horror tag mainly due to the presence of Frankenstein Director James Whale, who's reunited with his star Boris Karloff (In a largely silent role - save for some grunts).

So, the story. In brief, the Waverton's (Played by Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart) are traveling through "Rural Wales" as the synopsis tells me. Along for the ride is Penderel (Melvyn Douglas). Caught out in a horrendous storm they seek shelter in 'The Old Dark House' of the title. Once there they engage in a darkly comic battle with the denizens of said House. Part way through, another couple arrive (The Male being Charles Laughton, future and one time Director of the masterpiece Night of the Hunter). Then we learn of creepy people living on the top floor, and then we enter pretty standard thriller territory. Film abruptly ends.

The film does start off well, I'll give it that much. Though I can't say if that's down to legitimately good filmaking or whether it's because I have such an affinity for classic Universal Horror films. It's simplistic, but there's something I like about seeing a film shot entirely on a back lot, probably in California, while it pretends to be set in somewhere that's probably only a few hours from my front door. Still, it's nicely written early on, and though the mystery elements start to creep in it's a lot more fun to watch the cast engage in some nice verbal sparring, also with it's stormy weather and it's long dark corridors, The Old Dark House seems one of the earliest precursors to Gothic Horror that I can remember.

It's hard to imagine how audiences would've responded to this film in 1932. Though Melvyn Douglas is nicely charming, it's simply too hard to buy that he and one lady in particular manage to fall in love and get engaged literally one hour after meeting each other (If that). There's a remarkable scene where Douglas tells Lilian Bond (Playing Gladys Perkins) that he wants her "Body and Soul", if only for the fact that it's completely shoehorned in without a care in the World. It's about then that the film comes off the rails and enters the afore mentioned 'thriller' territory.

Still, there's not a lot to add about this film. It's nicely made as always by Whale (One shot has a character tell a story while their face is distorted by Mirrors, creating a nice effect) and it's acted competently enough, though to be honest Raymond Massey and Gloria Stuart are largely non entities on the page. Stuart (Who plays the older version of Kate Winslet in Titanic) seems to do nothing but run into Boris Karloff and shriek, where as Karloff doesn't seem to do anything but bump into Stuart and stare at her.

Bizarrely enough the film opens with a note from the producer stating that the Boris Karloff in this film is indeed the same Boris Karloff that played 'Frankenstein', and as such is a testament to his acting. Though to be honest, in both roles he's hired to do nothing but wear make up and look menacing. So maybe it's not that much of a stretch.

Also of note, the film was later remade in 1962 by Schlock Master William Castle with a decidedly more comic slant and with a largely different plot, and is all the better for it.